“Nice shot,” she said close to his ear, resting her hand on his back. Gross. The fabric of his shirt was damp with sweat. Now, if she just slid her hand lower, like she was about to touch his…
Before she knew what was happening, he turned and tugged her closer. “Your shot, sweet thing.”
He put the pool cue in her hand and got in close behind her. She giggled and almost gagged instead. “I’ll need a little room if I’m shooting.”
She needed to get the hell out of there. Adam would be losing his mind by now. She didn’t know his number off the top of her head to even call from the pay phone.
“Thought I’d give you a few pointers,” Chuck said, wrapping his sweaty body around hers from behind, paunch poking her in the back.
“Oh I’m…” The door swung open and a wild-eyed Adam stumbled in, chest heaving, veins bulging. Relief made her limbs weak. He’d found her. He leveled a hard look her way. Crap. Why did she suddenly want to run screaming from the bar?
She subtly shook her head when Adam looked like he was about to stride right on over and murder Chuck…or her—possibly both. Thankfully, for whatever reason, he decided to follow her lead and instead took a seat at the bar, ordering a drink. She could feel his eyes burning into the side of her head as she took her shot, with Chuck plastered to her like super glue. Chuck took his turn then came back around to “instruct” her.
She could see Adam over Chuck’s shoulder, and he looked ready to explode off his seat. Time to end this thing. Spinning in Chuck’s arms, she wrapped hers around him, which wasn’t easy with his belly in the way.
“Your mustache is exceptional,” she said, because it was, just not in a good way.
“I’ve been told it feels good on…certain places of a woman’s body.” His arms were around her waist, holding her immobile.
Gag! “Oh, I bet.” She slid her hand lower, slipped her finger through the metal ring on the key chain sticking out of his pocket, and carefully slipped it free. “I bet you know how to do all sorts of naughty things.”
“You know it,” he murmured, voice kind of high and excited.
She squirmed, forcing a little laugh. “You hold that thought. I need a quick trip to the little girls’ room.”
He slapped her on the butt. “Hurry back.”
Lucy glanced at Adam, catching his eye long enough to tilt her head to the back of the bar, and started toward the restroom, then veered off to the back exit. Her hand was on the door handle when Adam came up behind her, wrapped his arm around her waist, lifted her off her feet, and carried her outside.
“What are you—”
“Do not say a fucking word,” he growled against her ear. “Not one.” He strode to the Superbird, dragging her behind him in plain sight of the bar’s big picture window. Adam didn’t seem to care. He unlocked the car. “Get in.”
There was a shout from inside and a crash as she climbed into the passenger seat. Then Chuck was out the door, running…or rather rolling toward them. Lucy spun in her seat to look back at the guy’s flushed face, cackling like a lunatic as they sped off.
She turned back to Adam, but he wasn’t laughing. He was still clearly pissed off.
“Look, Adam—”
“I said, not a fucking word.”
Shit.
They drove in silence for a long time. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. “How did you find me? Did you leave the rental at the bar?”
“No.”
“Oh. How did you…”
“I ran.”
“What?” she sputtered. That’s when she noticed how damp his T-shirt was, how it stuck to his chest and abs. How flushed he still was. “You ran?”
He ignored her. “We need to go back and cancel the rental and get our bags. I left them there when you got in the car…with a guy you don’t know. A fucking criminal. And decided you’d…” He turned to her. “What the fuck did you think you were doing?”
“You ran after me?”
His fingers flexed around the steering wheel. “What did you think I’d do?”
“Um…steal a car? It’s not like you haven’t before…or I don’t know…use the rental.”
His jaw did that hard-as-stone thing he had down to a fine art. “I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly. You’ll have to forgive my stupidity. But when I saw my woman in a fucking car with the asshole who’d stolen it a couple hours earlier, who could work for any-damn-one, I didn’t stop to weigh up my options. I assumed you were in there because he’d recognized you. I thought he’d taken you against your will. That he was going to hurt you. Jesus fucking Christ, Lucy! If he hadn’t stopped at the bar…”